Regular Bros
by Sterling Grey
Summary: Mordecai is Rigby's bro. That's all he is, that's all he'll ever be.. Humanized AU fic for my bro, Dreamer. Characters based on Mookie000's designs This isn't a Morby fic in the typical sense. No teary eyed confessions and sudden realizations of hidden feelings here. Rated M just in case I decide to fanservice a bit.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **Let me be pretty clear on this one before you start reading. I don't ship Morby.

Was that clear and perfectly understood? Let me say it again. I do not ship Mordecai and Rigby as a couple.

However, this is a fic written for my friend, who does. It's a little hard for me to get behind the traditional views of a sensitive Rigby who's liked Mordecai since they were kids and a Mordecai who comforts his friend and they ease into a relationship.

Anyone who watches the show knows that isn't how they act. So, this will be a Morbyesque fic as real as I can depict it.

You won't get your fluff fix here. You might get angst though.

Sorry if that sounded douchey, just wanted to make things clear.

* * *

"Ha ha, dude! That's gotta be like twenty games in a row. How is it possible for you to suck so much at video games?" Mordecai laughed, leaning his head back against the couch.

"Stop talking!" The younger male shrieked before folding his arms angrily. "It's not my fault, I'm not used to this kind of controller."

"Psh, whatever dude. It doesn't change the fact that you lost."

"Whatever, man. I'm just not in the mood for video games." He pouted, tossing the park's new game controller onto the table.

"Careful dude, don't break it. This new system the nicest thing Benson has ever got for us."

"Yeah, it's about time he got us something for saving this place all the time."

"You mean for my saving this place. You're usually the one getting us in trouble. Besides, you know we never would have gotten anything if he hadn't gone on that date with Audrey."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Rigby said, glancing over as his friend. "So what's your favorite time out of all the stuff we've done?" He asked, peering up at him.

"Definitely that time with Death Bear." Mordecai smiled, his eyes falling closed at the memory. "Your stupid idea made me look like awesome in front of Margret. I swear she was gonna kiss me that night." The corners of Mordecai's lips rose as he smiled fondly at the memories of their time at the abandoned zoo. It was as close as he'd ever gotten to sharing a kiss with Margaret. Well.. A real one, not that stupid, embarrassing one that technically never happened.

Rigby frowned as he glanced up at Mordecai. He hated seeing that look on his face. That happy, dopey smile and the way his eyes glazed over. He knew what they'd look like even when they were closed. That blissful lovestruck expression that Mordecai always had when he thought about Margret. He sneered lightly. He didn't like seeing his friend so in love with someone who wasn't him. It wasn't that he was in love with Mordecai, it was just.. Mordecai was his bro. Who needed feelings for some girl souring up the time they spent together? Things were perfect the way they were. Just the two of them. Margret never saved him from a monster on the moon or ravenous hot dogs. Rigby sighed heavily and glanced away with a scowl.

"You looked like a chump." he frowned. "You were too scared to even go to the zoo in the first place."

"Huh?" Mordecai's blue eyes opened as he glanced down at his friend. "Yeah well, I didn't see you tackle that grizzly."

"Whatever, man. It's just cause I'm too short. I'd probably only be able to make it wobble or something. Not that it matters, cause she didn't kiss you for taking down that bear, anyway. Better luck next time. Though I don't know why you'd go chasing after some girl who doesn't even care you risked your life to save her."

Mordecai frowned, sitting up straighter. "She said thank you, she said I was really brave. Which is far more than you've ever done, Rigby."

"Hey!" shouted the brunette. "I don't need to thank you. I'm always there to help save your ass. Or at least by your side. Fifty fifty. I'm no princess, I don't need you to save me, so I don't need to thank you."

"Don't need saving huh? What about the time you let a bunch of unicorns trash the place? Or the time you got attacked by that skunk? Or how about that time when you screwed up the movie player and released zombies everywhere? Or-"

"Shut up!" Rigby cried angrily, flailing his arms.

"Haha!" Mordecai laughed, giving Rigby a shove. "Face it dude, you couldn't survive without me." He grinned, hopping up from the couch. "Let's go to the coffee shop."

"Why, so you can stare the girl you'll never have the balls to ask out?" Rigby smirked, following after his friend.

"Shut up, dude. I'll ask her." Mordecai retorted, grabbing the keys to the golf cart.

"Hmm. Hmm. Yeah right. Twenty bucks says you chicken out."

"Psh. You don't even have twenty dollars, dude."

"Doesn't even matter, you don't have the guts."

"Do too." Mordecai frowned. "I'll ask her, and once we're dating I won't even invite you over when we barbecue."

"Psh." Rigby scoffed. "I wouldn't want to see you two all over each other while I was trying to eat. I'd probably barf."

"Whatever, I'll ask her." Mordecai grinned, turning the cart down the street, as they left the park grounds.

"Chores for a month says you chicken out again, and loser buys the other's food for a week."

"Hmm. Hmm. Pretty steep offer for a simple bet." Mordecai grinned, turning onto a familiar block

"Only because I know you'll lose."

"Ha! Hope you like doing twice the chores around the house." Mordecai grinned, racing inside the little shop, once the cart was parked.

"Whatever, man." Rigby grumbled to the open air. For a moment he questioned if his teasing had given Mordecai even more incentive to ask out the fire haired waitress. Though, he had nearly gone on a date with her himself to get a rise out of his friend, and Mordecai had still chickened out. He scowled as he climbed out of the car. Not that it really mattered anyway, Margaret always had a boyfriend. Or had just broken up with one and made another superficial claim to be done with men. The shorter male scoffed pushing open the door. Why couldn't girls just be consistent? Not that he cared. Mordecai would swallow his tongue as usual, he'd laugh at him and then he'd practice playing Space Hunters 3 while Mordecai raked and got him food from Cheezers for a month. Life was gonna be sweet. Who needed girls anyway?

The mocha skinned brunette pushed open the door and nearly groaned at the sight. Mordecai had his chin propped up on his hand while he watched Margaret go about collecting plates from the other patrons. The place was less of a coffee shop and more of a suburban bistro. The shorter male climbed into his seat and prodded his friend in the ribs with his elbow.

"You ask her yet, pansy pants? Hurry up and choke so we can go back home and play. I think I finally got the hang of using the laser sword."

Mordecai turned to the shorter male and scowled. "She hasn't even come over and taken my order yet, doofus. I'm not gonna ask her out across the room. Besides, it's not the laser sword you need to be considered about, it's how you stupidly keep mistaking your grenade button for the trigger and blowing yourself up."

"Shut up!" Rigby cried aloud. "My finger slipped."

"Twenty-seven times?" Mordecai snickered, arching a pierced brow.

"Yeah, obviously. I told you I'm not used to the new controllers. It's got two joysticks. What kind of controller needs two joysticks? Why not just have D-pad? It's easier."

"Pfft, whatever dude." Mordecai laughed. "You just suck no matter what you play. Besides, you gotta admit, the graphics on the system are way better than on anything else we've played."

"No way!" The brunette exclaimed throwing his hands in the air. "There's no school like old school, retro gaming is the best."

"Just because you got to level two that one time, doesn't mean-" Mordecai paused and smiled sheepishly at the young woman before him.

Margaret stood in front of the table smiling warmly, clipboard at the ready. The duo were always the highlight of her work day. Being a waitress was tough. Gathering orders, delivering plates, she was on her feet constantly. The harassment from male customers was bad enough, but it didn't help that weird stuff occurred in town and at the restaurant at times as well. She frowned lightly recalling the bizarre video game tournament the restaurant had hosted the summer before, and the tantrum Mordecai's 'not girlfriend' threw the summer after that. She shook her head lightly. Even though it seemed like all the bizarre trouble stemmed from them, Mordecai and Rigby were a welcome constant in her life.

"Hey guys, want the usual today?" she smiled warmly, tucking a lock of vibrant red hair behind her ear.

"Awh yeeyaahh. Hook me up with a cup of joe, and pie. I don't care what kind you guys are having today."

Margaret laughed softly, according to Mordecai's stories, Rigby's actions were almost always the catalyst of whatever chaos they got into. But she had to admit, the shorter, darker skinned male had an infectious sort of energy about him.

"And for you, Mordecai?" she grinned.

The taller male perked up, traces of crimson creeping onto his pale cheeks as he smiled sheepishly. He forced his mismatched blue eyes to meet the chocolate brown eyes of the woman before him, but found the task nearly impossible, and glanced away, the color on his cheeks darkening, much to the amusement of his friend who snickered beside him.

"H-Hey, Margaret." he grinned.

"Hey, Mordecai." She smiled. Though initially it was something redhead ignored, over time she had come to find the taller male's reactions cute. Not that she'd openly admit to him. Mordecai was just slow with things, he'd come around on his own time, and she wasn't exactly short on company until then. "Pie for you too?" She asked him, watching him curiously.

The older male's pale fingers gripped the tabletop until his knuckles turned white, a bead of sweat formed beneath his trademark dyed blue bangs as he nodded softly, bracing himself "Y-yeah.." he spat out. "A-and your number."_ No wait, that wouldn't work.. He already had it._ "I-I uh.. lost it, and I uh.." _C'mon, so close. Just say something!_ "Do you wanna go out with me?"_ There!_ "I mean, uh.." _No, no, no! Don't backtrack!_ "I-if you wanted to that is.. Like, I mean uh.. You don't have to but like.."

Margaret laughed and nodded. "Sure. Meet me back here at seven when my shift ends." She smiled at him, leaving to go place their orders.

The taller male gave a heavy sigh of relief and collapsed his head on the countertop as he tried to calm his pounding heart.

What? What?! Rigby stared at his friend, his two toned hair spread across the table as he laughed softly to himself. He scowled angrily. That wasn't part of the plan. She wasn't supposed to say yes! Mordecai was supposed to bail at the last second and he was supposed to get free food. It was his idea, so why didn't things go his way?

"Ugh!" he cried exasperatedly, tossing his hands into the air. "What was that? We were supposed to play four player with Muscle Man and Hi Five Ghost tonight. Yer gonna ditch me to hang out with some girl? I bet you're just gonna do something dumb." the brunette pouted.

Mordecai lifted his head and glanced over at Rigby, even with his bangs covering his eyes his dopey content smile was still present. "She said yes, dude." he grinned.

"Ugh! What is with you!" the darker skinned male cried, feebly pushing against the sleeve of his friend's sweatshirt. "Space Fighters 3, remember? Muscle Man said he figured out how you can tea bag people after they die and everything! You're just gonna give that up?!"

Mordecai sat upright regaining his former composure and poked Rigby square in the forehead. He nearly laughed at the contrast of their skin, just another thing that made them total opposites. "Yes." he grinned. "Yes, I am ditching you. And you know what else? You have to pay for my pie, and do the chores when we get back to the house." he smirked.

Rigby's irritated expression grew worse. Creases formed across his forehead beneath a pale fingertip. Dark rimmed eyes narrowed slightly as he slapped the hand out of the way. "Whatever." he grumbled. "Just don't come crying to me when you mess up by doing something dumb, because you could have been playing video games."

"Pff. Whatever dude, nothing's gonna go wrong. Besides, with you not around why would it?" he laughed aloud.

"What?" Rigby snapped. His body growing rigid.

"What?" Mordecai blinked, staring at his friend.

"Are you saying everything that goes wrong is my fault?"

"Well, you were the one who sent Skips to the moon, you're the one who unleashed that video game, it was your slobber all over the tape that unleashed those zombies, and you were the reason those hotdogs tried to kill us."

"Hey!" Rigby shouted angrily, hopping out of his chair. Even when standing whilst the other was sitting, Rigby still didn't reach Mordecai's height. "It was your stupid cologne that brought the unicorns here in the first place, your stupid butt dial is what got us sucked into Margaret's phone, and because of your stupid need to impress a girl and be right all the time, I might not ever get my shark tattoo. We were gonna be awesome in the future, and you ruined it! Don't pin all that stupid crap on me. Every dumb, super lame adventure we've gone on is because you can't freaking talk to chicks. At least the crap I got us into was cool and because I wanted to hang out with you."

"Dude, just calm down. I just mean our date's gonna be better cause it'll be just us, okay? Fine. I got us into some stupid crap too, but like.. Margaret is chill y'know? Nothing's gonna go wrong is what I mean."

"Whatever." Rigby grumbled as Margaret returned with their plates.

"There you go, guys." She smiled, setting the dishes down "Two coffees and two large slices of pumpkin pie. Enjoy." She grinned at the pair before getting back to work.

Suddenly forgetting his irritation Rigby studied the dessert in front of him. "Pumpkin? Who makes a pie out of a pumpkin?" He picked up the slice and bit into it with a frown. For a pie it wasn't all that sweet. He peered into his cup and smirked. Even though Mordecai's affection for the redhead was bothersome the one thing she did know how to do was make coffee. He drank from his cup generously and smiled at the amount of cream and sugar in it. The overly sweet drink made up for the rather bland pie and he decided it was an okay combination.

Mordecai's scowl like Rigby's had vanished at Margaret's return, but not for the food. He smiled at her until she was out of sight then picked up his mug. He gave a soft throaty moan when the beverage hit his tongue. He liked his coffee black with two sugars. The bitter taste woke him up and the sugar kept him energized. The pie was good too, soft and not too sweet. He let out a satisfied hum. He doubted Rigby would completely uphold to his end of the bet, but Margaret had said yes, so life was going sweet.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Things kind of shifted a bit more than intended during the coffee shop scene. I was going to make it more fanservice like for you guys, but failed. The argument was actually not intentional at all, it just sort of happened. Anyway, I'm trying to keep the characters as true to the show as I can make them. So if you see any inconsistencies or moments that just seem out of line, please let me know. Criticism does not hurt me, it only helps me improve. Be as harsh as you want to be in your reviews, but if you're going to flame, at least tell me why it sucks, okay?

Thanks.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **Wow, sorry for the incredibly slow update. I'll try to pump chapters out a little bit faster, but.. I can't make any promises like..  
a new a chapter a week, because I get busy. But I'll definitely try.  
And to all of you who post reviews on my work? Thank you.. one billion times, thank you so very much.  
Constructive criticism is appreciated as always, so if you don't like something, let me know.  
I'm always open to suggestions.

Mordecai tilted his head back downing his second Coke since being back at the house. Surprisingly, Rigby had upheld to his end of the bet and was gathering litter from the park grounds wordlessly. Date with Margaret, Rigby actually doing chores.. Mordecai glanced around as inconspicuously as he could and subtly knocked his head hard against the tree he was leaning on.

"Mmnf.. dammit.." he murmured, rubbing the back of his head softly. Nope, he definitely wasn't dreaming. Crazy. He shuffled over to Rigby and carefully set his coke can on top of his head.

"Nice, dude. I didn't think you'd actually do chores and stuff."

Rigby scowled and flailed his arms with a huff. "Stop it, you hole. I just figured if I get this done I wouldn't have to hear you go on about your stupid date."

"You're the one who encouraged me, dude. The free food and no chores was a nice bonus."

"Shut up!" Rigby snapped. Stabbing through a discarded pop can with extra ferocity. "I didn't think you had the balls to talk to a girl without swallowing your tongue. Which you nearly did anyway."

Mordecai laughed sheepishly running his hand through his two toned hair with a light shrug. "Yeah well, I still did it." He grinned swiping his can from his friend's head and finished it off, dropping it into Rigby's collection bag. "Thanks, dude."

"Whatever, man. Just don't blow it. You're no fun when you're mopey and sad and pathetic and stuff."

"Thanks for the encouragement." Mordecai scoffed lightly.

"You can barely talk to her in a public setting. What the hell are you gonna do when it's just you two alone? Stare at the ground trying to think of something to say? At least CJ was cool. She played video games and stuff. Can't take Margaret to an arcade. So what are you gonna do Mordecry, talk about your wussy chick flick collection?"

"Shut up!" Mordecai scowled, giving Rigby a shove as he dropped his collection bag into the park's trash can. "They've got more plot than your stupid action movies."

Rigby stumbled backward and turned, giving the taller male a harsh glare. "Pfft. People don't even watch movies for the plot. They watch them for the explosions and the car chases. Every one of your movies has the dopey awkward guy getting the girl, but news flash. He actually talks to her. So again. Don't blow it, cause I don't want to sit around and watch you cry."

"Way to be a jerk, Rigby." the taller male scowled. Though, his friend did have a point. What was he going to do with Margaret once they were alone?

"Well if trying to make sure you don't screw up makes me a jerk then fine, fuck you then." Rigby glowered. "Don't whine to me when you screw it all up." The darker skinned male threw the trash pick at his friend and stormed into the house.

Mordecai stared at the wooden pole and sighed heavily spinning it lightly on its point out of nervous energy. He supposed Rigby was trying to help in his own way. So what was he supposed to do? He really couldn't see Margaret playing air hockey, video games or laser tag. Mordecai groaned in exasperation and shuffled off to the garage, stashing the tool before he headed inside. He blinked in surprise as he peeked into the living room. It was quiet and the TV was off. Mordecai had expected to see Rigby playing Space Hunters, after the fuss he had made earlier. The taller male shrugged, Rigby was probably in the kitchen stuffing his face or something.

Mordecai checked his watch with a soft hum. There were still an hour and a half before his date. Plenty of time to shower and mull over what to do. He headed up the stairs and pushed open his bedroom door. A grunt was forced from his lips as he stumbled backwards. Something had hit him hard in the stomach. He caught it and glanced down at his hands, frowning slightly in confusion. His iPod? He glanced up to see Rigby scowling at him.

"Margaret likes music, remember? Just show her all of those stupid bands that you like, or something."

Mordecai blinked a few times before a small smile came across his features. "Hey, yeah. Thanks man!"

"Hmph. Hmph. Just saving your sorry butt in advance this time. Make sure you brush your stupid teeth too, onion breath. I don't have my time machine anymore."

"I still can't believe that stupid thing worked." Mordecai grinned, pocketing his music player.

"I still can't believe you're so pathetic when it comes to girls. Looks like that's something a high school education can't help you with."

"Pfft." Mordecai gave Rigby a playful shove and smiled. "You'd know how hard it was if you actually liked someone."

"Ugh, who has time for that? Dealing with you is hard enough. I don't need some complicated girl on top of that. Now go shower, you loser." Rigby grinned, pushing past his friend to head back downstairs.

"Hey, Rigby!"

The brunette turned, glancing up the stairs to see Mordecai with a bundle of clothes in his arms. "Thanks dude."

"Hmph. I just don't like hearing that stupid song you play when you're sad on repeat all the time. So don't blow it."

The blue haired male chuckled softly and headed into the bathroom. Downstairs Rigby groaned and flopped onto the couch. Muscle Man had called while Mordecai was outside. He and Fives had scored some monster truck tickets in an eating contest and he wasn't coming over. Mordecai was going off on some stupid date, so that meant he'd be home alone. Rigby frowned softly. He didn't like being alone. He wasn't really fond of groups of people either, but he really didn't like being alone.

He wandered into the kitchen and a pulled a pizza from the freezer. The brunette stared at the frozen pie and sighed before peeling away the plastic and cardboard slipping it into the oven. He glanced at the small green digital numbers. 7:00pm. With a sigh he shuffled over to the couch, flipping through the new game titles he and Mordecai has bought for their new console. The old system was still in the house, of course. Like heck they'd ditch a classic like that for a newer disc based system. Plus.. The older games were easier.. Rigby picked up a game and examined the title. Skies of the Infinite: The Gates of Magic. He had grabbed the game because the cover art looked cool, and the $11.00 asking price wasn't bad either. He flipped it over and read the summary.

_When dark agents and demons from the realm of Spinchester threaten to cast the world into darkness, a group of friends must band together to save the world they love._

It was a vague and cliché sounding summary but images of the game play looked compelling. There were small captions that read things like "Customize your hero" "Build your party." and "Seven alternative endings." He shrugged and slipped the game into the disc tray and leaned back into the couch. His eyes widened as he watched the opening unfold. There was a boy in a dingy beige shirt and green overalls with sandy brown hair. Beside him was a taller male with long blue hair tied up in a ponytail in a brown vest and matching pants covered in belts and buckles. There were three other characters too, but before Rigby could get a good look the camera zoomed out to show the gang of children flying into the sky on an airship. As it got closer to a floating island the screen grew brighter until it was white. The TV blared triumphant music as it showed flashes of the kids in new attire, each brandishing a weapon in one hand and a burning ball of magic in the other. Scenes of the kids fighting knights in black armor flashed across the screen rapidly before the title screen appeared.

"Woah…" the brunette gasped in awe. "That was so cool."

"What was so cool?"

Rigby turned to see Mordecai drying his wet cerulean locks with a fluffy white towel. He was wearing dark denim jeans and black leather belt, but was completely shirtless. Rigby scowled lightly. "You don't have a six-pack yet, so stop trying to show off." Mordecai blinked and glanced down with a laugh, poking at his stomach.  
"I don't look bad though, do I?"  
Rigby whirled around and huffed. "You look better than Muscle Man." Mordecai laughed and flopped down on the couch beside his friend, draping the damp towel around his neck. "So what was so cool, huh?"  
Rigby perked up and grinned. "You gotta check this out man, this game is gonna be so cool!" He scrolled his cursor down to the Extras option and pushed 'A' "Here, watch!" he beamed, selecting the trailer option as the opening sequence started over again.  
"Wow." Mordecai pointed. "That guy looks like you."  
Rigby nodded excitedly pointing to the blue haired male beside the younger looking brunette. "And that one is you!" The pair watched the group of children go through their transformations before scenes of them slashing through enemies flashed across the screen.

"Dude, that looks sweet." Mordecai grinned.

"Yeayuh, it does." Rigby smiled excitedly.

"But what about Space Hunters 3?" Mordecai asked, getting up from the couch. The timer on the oven beeped loudly and Rigby gave a soft sigh in relief ignoring Mordecai's question to go retrieve his pizza. Mordecai headed back upstairs while Rigby was in the kitchen, throwing his towel down on the floor of their room and pulled on a black button down, slipping his mp3 player into his pants pocket. He headed back downstairs to see Rigby editing the character from the title scene. Mordecai flopped on the couch swiping a piece of the pizza.  
"I thought you were gonna play Space Hunters, bro." he mentioned again.  
Rigby shrugged, changing the character's eyes from green to brown. "I figured I better find another game to play before Muscle Man ruins that one. He gloats so much the game isn't even fun any more. Gotta have a backup plan."  
Mordecai nodded. "I hear ya. I can't even play Demon's Gate without him going on about his stats are higher than mine. Maybe we should stop grabbing the popular titles. Every time we do, it's just another game he has."  
Rigby nodded picking up a slice of pizza. "I don't think he has this one though." he grinned taking a bite.  
"If you're lucky. Maybe try asking him what games he has when he gets here."  
Rigby nodded as Mordecai stood up. "Anyway, good luck on your games bro. Don't cry to hard when you lose."  
"Hmph hmph. I'm gonna kick Muscle Man's butt, you'll see."  
Mordecai laughed as he headed out the door. "Sure you will. See you later."

Rigby glanced up at the screen. The character now looked like a little anime version of himself, but the quiet stillness of the house killed his earlier excitement. It had been quiet in the house during those last ten minutes before his father got home. It had been quiet in the house when he and Don got home from school and their mother wasn't there. It had been quiet in Mordecai's house at the time of the trial, and it had been way too quiet when he left for college. Rigby frowned glancing at the screen before his gaze drifted towards the half eaten pizza. Quiet, quiet, far too quiet.. He sighed and carried the pizza to the kitchen, and began cleaning up his mess.

Mordecai smoothed his shirt climbing out of the park's truck in front of the coffee shop. He had a vague idea of how he wanted things to go, but Rigby's constant warnings had made him nervous. He got to the door just in time to see Margaret bid her boss goodnight.

"Hey, Mordecai." she smiled brightly, walking towards him.

"Uh, hey, Margaret." he smiled, taking a breath to calm himself. "Ready to go?"

"Sure thing, where are we going?" she smiled, climbing into the passenger's side of the truck as Mordecai held open the door for her.

"Some place special." he grinned, pulling away from the curb.

"Oh okay, so you've got all planed do you?"

"Yup." Mordecai grinned. "You know me, by the books, Mordecai."

Margaret laughed shaking her head. "I'm sure. So what've you been up to?"

"Hmm? Me? Nothing special, really. I've started painting again. I forgot how relaxing it can be."

"That's right, you went to art school right? You should show me your work sometime."

Mordecai laughed sheepishly and turned down a corner. "Sure thing. So what about you? Did you go to college?"

"Yeah.. I went to school for business after my barista training, but I kept getting the wrong kind of attention, y'know?"

Mordecai kept quiet as he listened. Margaret went through more boyfriends than he went through socks. He never thought poorly of her, not ever. But.. What attention had she been getting that she hadn't been seeking with her former boyfriends?  
He paused mulling over his first year of college. After agreeing to be a quick replacement model for the day he had attracted a lot of attention too. It wasn't that he hadn't wanted it.. But it was more attention than what he was used to receiving. All those girls and Margaret still made him trip over his words. The power of your first crush, he supposed.

"Here we are." he smiled, breaking whatever thoughts had settled between them.  
"The Tearoom?" Margaret blinked, glancing up at their destination. "If you wanted to go out for drinks, we could have stayed at the Coffee Shop."  
Mordecai laughed and shook his head. "It wouldn't be much of a date if we just hung out where you work, would it? Besides, this isn't our date."  
Mordecai climbed out of the car, opening the door for the redhead, before following her inside. "We're just getting drinks."  
Margret smiled leaning against the counter, glancing over at Mordecai.  
"Sooo.. Am I supposed to order anything specific, mister by the books?" She teased.  
"Yeah, your absolute favorite thing on the menu."  
"Oh my, well then~" Margaret smiled.  
Mordecai felt his cheeks warm at the site of the red head's smile. The air was filled with innocent chatter and light banter inside the little shop. It was a feeling Mordecai never wanted to be free from. He was with Margaret, his crush since middle school. They were actually in a date together. He couldn't help but mirror her warm smile or laugh in time with her. She was beautiful. There was no way he was going to ruin tonight.

"C'mon." He smiled, once they had their drinks in hand. Mordecai held open the door as Margaret made her way back to the truck. Mordecai smiled, climbing in well after Margaret had buckled up and settled into the car.  
"What took you so long?" She asked as he turned the key in the ignition.  
"I got you these." The taller male smiled, handing Margaret over a small brown paper bag. The red head blink and peered inside.  
"Shortbread cookies?"  
"I saw you looking at them while you were ordering. You could have got them."  
Margaret smiled softly. "Thanks Mordecai.. That's really sweet of you."  
The raven haired male blushed, ruffling his duel toned locks sheepishly. "It was nothing. Hey! You like music right?" he asked, pulling his iPod from his pocket.  
"Oh yeah, all kinds! What have you got?"  
Mordecai smiled connecting his iPod to the truck's auxiliary port, flipping through his songs.  
"This is Cosmic Filter." he smiled selecting a song. "Not a lot of people have heard of them, but they toured with Brain Explosion last year." he explained, as a smooth bass line flowed from the speakers. "I mean! You can go through my songs if you want, you don't have to listen to what I put on."  
Margaret laughed as Mordecai pulled out of the parking lot heading down the street. "I like it, they have an easy sound. Which is odd considering the instrument choice, is that an accordion I'm hearing?"  
Mordecai laughed and nodded heading down the highway. "Tommy Fires, he was in a polka band before he joined Filter."

Margaret joined in Mordecai's laughter. "Well, that's definitely different. What else do you have?" She asked picking up his iPod. "Florescent Indigo, Definition of a Photograph, Field Snow?" Margaret laughed shaking her head. "Is everything you listen to hipster?"  
"I feel that talent is true talent when it's not exploited y'know? Like.. People get into music because the want to send a message, they want to share their voice, but no matter how pure and focused they are, Hollywood will still their soul. Make them change their image, only promote the songs that are gonna sell, and the heart and soul of the artist is slowly sucked away, no matter how much they deny it. That's why I support underground artists. Keep music pure, y'know?"  
Margaret smiled. "You sure are passionate about music, do you play?"  
"..Guitar.." Mordecai blushed. "But I haven't played in quite some time."  
"When you pick it up, let me know some time, okay?"  
Mordecai smiled warmly. "No problem."

He parked the truck and Margaret glanced around. They were in a huge field. She hadn't even noticed where they had been going. "What is this place?"  
"Ways Hill." Mordecai smiled, killing the ignition. "Rigby and I used to escape here as kids all the time." He climbed out of the car and Margaret followed suit. "I wanna show you something." He picked up his iPod and selected a song, before leading Margaret to a spot beneath a shady oak tree. Soft music floated through the speakers and filled the air surrounding them. Soft harp playing, accented by the gentle sound of wind chimes danced in the light summer breeze. Mordecai leaned against the oak tree and patted the ground beside him. Shyly Margaret joined him. "Look." Mordecai smiled pointing up. Out in the open field, free from the city lights, the moon and stars shone brilliantly. He brought his hand down and pointed straight forward.

"At the bottom of this hill is a pond. The land comes out just far enough to make a little peninsula big enough for two people to sit on. The weeds grow really high so nobody can see you. It's like a secret hideout. Rigby and I would have picnics there. Wanna go see it?"  
He smiled, standing up and offered Margaret his hand. The redhead slipped her palm into his and the two blushed softly. Interrupting the moment came Rigby's voice. _'Hey you buttmunch, look at your phone!'_ Margaret's eyes widened as she drew her hand back. "What was that?"  
Mordecai laughed "Before I left for college Rigby and I recorded really stupid stuff on each other's phones. He just texted me." he shrugged pulling out his phone. "Which is weird, cause I thought he was playing video games with Muscle Man. He's probably just trying to tease m-" Mordecai's voice trailed off as he stared at the text message. His eyes grew wide as he stared

_Rapid Response_

"Shit." he swore harshly under his breath. "Shit, shit, fuck!" he pocketed his phone and grabbed Margaret's hand racing towards the truck. "I am so sorry. I really didn't want to ruin our first date, I just-"

Margaret raced beside him, her heart pounding, eyes wild with fear, her entire body on high alert.  
"What, what is it?" she panted as Mordecai turned the key furiously.

"Rapid Response." Mordecai choked out, scrambling to put on his seatbelt. "My mom was a nurse." he explained, pulling the car out so quickly the tires squealed. "Rapid Response is code for when a patient's condition has shifted dramatically." Mordecai's phone went off again, and Margaret glanced up at him. "Open it" he nodded, speeding down the park trail away from the open field. "What's it say?"  
"Code Blue." Margaret said softly, confusion in her voice.  
"Fuck.." Mordecai swore, stomping on the gas pedal. "Rigby's in trouble."


	3. Chapter 3

Rigby panted heavily curled up in his shared bedroom. His knees were brought to his chest and his fingers clutched at his chestnut colored curls. He had long given up those deep breathing exercises, Mordecai's mother had taught him. Now he just sat in the corner, gripping his hair, choking down sobs and gasping for air.

It was quiet, it was just too quiet, and quiet meant his father was coming home. Tears streamed down the brunette's cheeks while he rocked back and forth in his corner. The dishes were washed, his bed was made, the house was clean. His father wouldn't yell that much. Ten more minutes, just ten more minutes. Why did ten minutes feel so long?

"..igby.. Rigby!"

The brunette's head shot up as he glanced around, his heart pounding wildly as his eyes slowly brought his best friend into focus.

"Mordecai.."

Mordecai knew that look. He'd only seen it a few times. "Look dude! Margaret's here." He forced a grin shoving her forward, hurriedly.

The red head gave a sheepish smile and waved lightly.

"Hey, Rigby.." she pulled out the small brown bag from earlier. "Want a shortbread cookie?"

Rigby nodded softly, pulling two cookies from the bag. He knew what Mordecai was doing, he didn't think it would work, but he was grateful for the attempt.

"Yeah, man. Those cookies are awesome. Let's kick it up in here. Where are Muscle Man and Fives, dude?"

"They uh.. They won monster truck tickets. They were never here.."

Mordecai paused mid step before grabbing the radio off their desk and pulling a couple cassette tapes from the drawer.

"Well..! Who needs them." Bending down he picked up Rigby and carried him over his shoulder. "C'mon tiny. Margaret, why don't you call Eileen?" he grinned over his shoulder, heading downstairs.

"Mordecai, you can put me down, I'm fine.." Rigby mumbled as he was carried downstairs.

"Nope, I think you're stuck up there." the taller male grinned brilliantly.

"This isn't like when we were kids. I don't need you to pretend for me. I just.. It felt like it did back then.. When me and Don and mom.. And I just.." the brunette fell silent. Maybe he did need to pretend that things were okay.

"Pssh. I'm not carrying you around for your comfort, dude. I'm trying to impress Margaret." Mordecai grinned, desperately hoping his friend would play along.

"Oh yeah, real impressive Mordo. Try carrying Muscle Man on your back, then we'll talk."

"And yet you still can't do a pull up without needing medical attention."

"Keep in mind I'm on your shoulders. I'll pull your hair if I have to."

"Ooh, hair pulling, sooo manly." Mordecai scoffed, flipping Rigby onto the couch. He shoved a tape into the stereo and pushed play. An upbeat techno melody began to play, and Rigby sat up immediately.

"You found my Fluff Renegade tape!"

"Sure did, dude." Mordecai grinned, pulling out a few more cassette tapes from his sweatshirt pocket.

"Check it. Pineapple Specialist and Bizarre Impact." The brunette whirled around and got up on his knees, leaning over the back of the couch, smiling at his friend happily. Mordecai grinned tousling Rigby's terra-cotta locks before heading into the kitchen. "I'm gonna warm up that pizza, okay dude?"

Rigby nodded and flopped back down in his seat, singing along. The pop rock group wasn't well received with any of the brunette's friends now that they were out of middle school, but he didn't care. He liked catchy, upbeat music.

He wiggled in his spot happily as Margaret came downstairs.

"Heh, you look cute, Rigby." she laughed, pocketing her cellphone. The brunette stiffened and blushed lightly with a scowl. Margaret laughed again and shook her head. "Sorry. Anyway! Eileen said she could could come over. She also said to tell you you're supposed to pick out your favorite video game and prepare to get creamed."

"Pfft! Whatever. Tell her I'm ready, and she's going down."

"Will do." she chuckled, raising a set of car keys. "Will you let Mordecai know he left these upstairs, I'm taking the truck to pick up Eileen."

"Sure thing." Rigby waved sliding off the couch. He wandered into the kitchen sitting in one of the chairs, watching Mordecai gather a few cups.

"I got ahold of Thomas too. He said he was doing some baking with his mom and his sister, but he'll be over later with snacks and stuff. He opened another cabinet door and showed Rigby two blue cardboard boxes.

"Kettle corn, or regular?"

"Kettle corn." Rigby grinned.

Mordecai already knew the answer, his friend had a wicked sweet tooth. He turned to him after placing the bag in the microwave.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Rigby turned in his chair and waved his hand. "It was fine, besides. You're here now right?"

"Rigby. You're my friend. I'm here to help you. You gotta let me know, so I can help you."

"I don't need help! I'm not a baby, Don!" Rigby paused and stared at Mordecai for a moment before shrinking back and glowering at the floor quietly. "Sorry.."

"It's okay." Mordecai spoke softly. "What happened..?"

"You know about my dad. Sort of.. Don was the smart one, the tall one, the more mature one. I only got attention if I acted out, and everybody said it seemed like Don took care of me. Sir- dad.. Dad hated that.. Cast him in a bad light for having a 'fucking retard' for a son. I was the oldest and it was damn well time I learned to act like it."

Rigby fidgeted some, sitting up a bit straighter in his chair.

"The house was supposed to be clean when he came home. Beds made, dishes washed, floors clean, and dinner made. Ten minutes before dad came home was when we all checked. Every room, every dish, everything.. Mom's hands would shake.. I hate the quiet, Mordecai."

Mordecai nodded softly, recalling the times when Rigby would come over to his house, timid and fearful. It took a lot of coaxing to get him to ease up and have fun. Now it took a lot to get him to calm down and do work, but Mordecai preferred it this way.

"Well, it's not quiet now. We're gonna have a party! Just for you, okay?"

Rigby nodded and gave a soft smile. "Thanks Mordecai."

Author's Note: Sorry if things start to skitter a bit towards OOC range, but I gotta incorporate those headcanons somehow. Special thanks to nightmre13 for the encouragement. Heh.


End file.
